


Parallel Crossroad

by nalbwanalbwa



Category: EXO (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Baekhyun - Freeform, Fluff, M/M, Romance, taehyung - Freeform, vbaek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 19:56:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5883583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nalbwanalbwa/pseuds/nalbwanalbwa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Early mornings as he waits for the train to school is the only time Taehyung can hear himself without the merry chatters of his friends, and the fond naggings of his families; and thus, deemed precious. Rainy November sends a boy who complains about every little thing under the cloudy sky to his way, and invading his treasured silent trails of thoughts, but for some reason, Taehyung doesn’t mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parallel Crossroad

_About time_ , Taehyung thinks, staring at the numbers in monochrome dots across his father’s shirt on his phone wallpaper. He tilts his head slightly to the left, eyes focused on the small store at the corner, few metres from the seats. _Anytime now_.

As if on cue, the familiar rumbles of rusty metals fill the damp morning air as the store owner lifts up the rolling steel door. Taehyung watches the old man reaches for a broom somewhere from the store and starts sweeping the small compound in front of the store, always from the left to the right, before he pulls out a folded table and spread it open.

The old man enters the store at the same time as the programmed female voice operator announces the arrival of the next trains, and Taehyung stands up. It’s a small station, and the trains in another half an hour are more convenient for the late riser students from nearer schools, so Taehyung barely has to line up. He waits from behind the yellow line anyway, next to a sleepy young woman in Starbucks uniform, two students both engrossed in the text books they are holding and a slouching middle aged salaryman with a balding patch on the back of his head.

The trains arrives on time as usual; Taehyung knows this because he can see the old man from the store bringing out a stack of lunch boxes as he boards his train – the first out of two that have arrived – just like he does yesterday, the day before yesterday; every day prior.

 

 

 

Kim Taehyung likes puppies, and his parents’ warm smiles, and his sibling’s incessant arguments over trivial things, and basketball sessions during lunch breaks, and the half an hour in quiet train station where he can be alone and get lost in his thought, and the trains that arrive on time – but sometimes he wishes they could arrive ten minutes later so that he can buy one of the lunch boxes.

 

 

 

Taehyung lays the dripping umbrella on the floor next to his seat, mentally apologizing to the cleaning crew for the small puddle, even though the wet steps of the patrons of the train station proven to be a bigger mess, anyway. The drizzle from late August has grown to heavy pours as they enter November, and Taehyung zips up his hoodie due to the chills.

“Stupid rain, I got all wet now, sheesh.”

Looking up, Taehyung sees a boy around his age casting his umbrella carelessly on the floor, water droplets flying around due to the impact. Aside from the tips of his shoes, the boy looks pretty dry to be considered ‘all wet’ but Taehyung supposes it is not his business.

It surprises him, though, when the boy sits a seat apart from him, still grumbling lowly about his non-existent state of wetness. Taehyung stares dully at the five rows of empty seats in front of him, and again deems that it is none of his business.

“I’m freaking freezing,” the boy announces. He looks over at Taehyung, and motioned to the nearest vending coffee machine. “Do you have any idea if that thing works?”

Taehyung nods. “It does. But it runs out of milk coffee, and the black tastes awful by its own.”

The boy grimaces. “Ugh. Nasty. Thanks, anyway.”

 

Taehyung flashes him a smile and proceeds to stare straight ahead at the empty train rails. His gaze falls to the yellowing poster ads plastered on the wall on the opposite side instead. His mind wonders to the possibility of a new ads being put on soon, to the type of ads it could probably be and how soon is soon. He is just about to consider different definitions of _soon_ when a certain voice creeps into his head, cutting of the trail of thought.

“Cold, cold, cold, fucking cold, I’m fucking cold, I’m fucking stupid, I’m stupid and cold, stupidly cold, coldly stupid...” the boy next to him chants, probably not seeing the need to keep his voice low due to the almost empty station but most definitely not considering the possibility of Taehyung being annoyed as well. To give him credits, he _does_ look cold, slightly shivering in his school winter blazer which is barely enough for the drop of temperature during such downpour in early mornings, lips chapped and quivering.  

Taehyung sighs and walks away. This is really none of his business.

 

 

“Here.”

The boy looks at Taehyung’s face, then to the polystyrene cup in Taehyung’s slightly extended right hand, then up to Taehyung’s face again. The cup exchanges hands after an insistent nudge from Taehyung, though the boy still looks faintly bewildered. Taehyung makes sure that the boy takes a sip of the drink and watches as the boy’s eyes light up when the hot liquid goes down his throat, before bringing his own cup up to his lips as well.

“You said they ran out of milk coffee.”

Taehyung hums in agreement. “But they have black coffee and milk.”

Their eyes meet, the boy’s lips slightly parted in contemplation while Taehyung grins. They hold gazes for a while until the boy breaks into a boisterous laughter.

“I’m Baekhyun,” the boy says after another long sip of the coffee, and Taehyung notes the colour that is returning to his pale cheeks.

Over Baekhyun’s honey brown head, the lunch box old man inches slowly towards his little store at the corner, but for the first time Taehyung’s attention is not on him.

 

 

 

 

The bickering of the two regular bookworm students ascends to a shouting match, ringing particularly loud in the damp morning air, cutting off Baekhyun’s long winded explanation why hair colouring should be allowed in all schools so that Taehyung can dye his ash brown, which according to him, will be a damn looker.

Taehyung is fine with sporting black hair during school terms, despite knowing lighter colour suits him better, which he has tried last summer – but Baekhyun likes his own opinions voiced out so there is nothing much Taehyung could do about it but to listen.

“Ah, suneung,” Baekhyun muses, eyes flicking off from the two students as he nods pityingly. “The misery of South Korean high school students that is as blasted as this rainy winter. Have strength, my fellow friends.”

“Fellow friends?” Taehyung repeats after him, an eyebrow arched. “You...you are a high school senior?”

Baekhyun nods. “Didn’t you know? You’ve been calling me hyung, though.”

“I thought you’re a sophomore,” Taehyung deadpans, the new information sinking in slowly.

“Well, now you know,” says Baekhyun lightly as he shrugs. “In more pressing matter, why in the name of everything holy in this world the rain not letting up? Are we not getting snow at all this year? Is this because of global warming? Does this also mean the penguins in the North Pole are losing homes?”

On some other days Taehyung would proceed to share his view on the serious matter of penguins’ survival but today something else takes up his mind.

“Hyung,” he starts, hesitated for a bit because he has just realized that he practically knows nothing about the older boy, which rings a volume because in two weeks they have waited for the trains together, Baekhyun never runs out of things to say and it only dawns to Taehyung now that Baekhyun never talks about himself. “You are not taking suneung?”

Baekhyun makes a face and glances briefly at the two students that have now made up and are crouching over their books again. “Eh, nope, I’ll pass.”

Taehyung must have looked so puzzled over the vague answer that Baekhyun soon lets out his signature cackle.

“Taehyung-ah,” he says, reaching to ruffle Taehyung’s hair affectionately. “In this life you’ll do things greater than taking suneung. But it’s okay, I didn’t know that when I was your age, too.”

“Big deal, grandpa,” Taehyung sticks out his tongue and rolls his eyes at Baekhyun’s exaggeration. “But what are you doing then, hyung, if you’re not taking suneung?”

The monotone voice of the female operators announcing the trains’ arrival catches the attention of the two boys, though it is soon drowned by the rumbling sound of the rolling gate from the lunch box store, which opens later than usual today for some reason.

As both sounds die off, Baekhyun turns to the expecting face of Taehyung. His lips curls into mischievous smile as he stands up and grabs his bag, eyes still trained on Taehyung.

He sticks out his tongue at the same time the first train halts in its position. “Not telling you.”

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun ends up telling Taehyung anyway, three days later, after the younger boy’s incessant nagging. To Taehyung’s defence, he thinks it’s just fair that he knows that piece of information about Baekhyun, especially now that his peaceful time is basically non-existent with Baekhyun being the sole reason.  

“I’m going to be a singer,” Baekhyun announces, almost as lightly as announcing today’s weather; which is still rainy, for the records, but it is a mild drizzle in comparison of all other days in the week. “I’m going to be the next Se7en, or BoA, whichever you prefer.”

The older boy then proceeds to recite all his efforts to stardom, starting from the tale of his talent discovery during mere age of 5, to regular vocal training class since and his entertainment-inclined high school, and lastly to a recruit team that has spotted him few months ago during a singing competition.

Taehyung absorbs all the information, strangely as fascinated by all the processes involved as he is to Baekhyun’s animated narration. Baekhyun talks a lot, he knows that now, but he has yet seen Baekhyun as excited as he is now, the glints in those single-lidded eyes shine the brightest and amidst Baekhyun’s bark-like laughs, Taehyung could almost see how dull his future in comparison.

 

 

 

 

Taehyung has always known what he wants to do. He will finish high school, and take the suneung, and get some so-so results and enrol in some so-so college in Daegu because all he ever wants is to stay close to his grandmother again after having to move to Bucheon with his family five years ago. He is not quite sure what courses to take, or what career will he have later in his life, but he supposes there are many things he could do and it is enough that he knows _where_ to do them.

He tells this to Baekhyun one day, expecting the latter to scorn at his lack of dream in comparison of Baekhyun’s ambitious one, but the senior simply shrugs and smiles light-heartedly as he ruffles Taehyung’s hair affectionately.

“As I told you, young Taehyung,” he coons “you don’t have to have them all figured out now. You still have two years of high school, a lot can happen then. And don’t pay attention to all those _you-have-to-dream-big_ shit, there’s nothing wrong of simply wanting to live comfortably. If you just want to raise puppies in Daegu, you do that. As long as you make enough to afford my album, it will be fine.”

Taehyung shoves him at the incredulity of the last bit, but their shared laughs that follow after seeps warmth into Taehyung in a way that he has not aware possible, the heavy burden of future planning ebbing away with Baekhyun’s assurance.

 

 

“But hyung, you will send me signed copy of your album, right?” Taehyung teases as they stand up at the sight of the boarding trains.

Baekhyun grins. “Only the debut album!” he says, cheekily turning away towards his train.

“That’s a promise!” Taehyung calls out at his receding back, noting Baekhyun’s airy wave in response before walking to his own train, a big smile etched on his lips.

 

 

 

It is the second week of December when the sky finally shows some mercy and ceases the downpour to only random spurts of showers instead. Baekhyun frets over the fact that it still does not let him cycle to school as he usually did before the rainy season starts but Taehyung simply turns deaf ears, having discussed before on how Baekhyun could have taken the later train and be in time for school nevertheless, but it has been concluded then that Baekhyun has his own reason that he refuses to disclose.

It is also less than two weeks away from winter break when all the school assignments are close to due and thus, Taehyung literally sleeps through Baekhyun’s grumbling, curling uncomfortably on the small plastic chair and resting his head on the older boy’s shoulder.

 

“Oh, Baekhyun!”

If it is not the booming deep voice across an almost empty train station, it is the jolt of Baekhyun’s whole body when he hears it that wakes Taehyung up. Half of him wants to properly wake up and see what has surprised Baekhyun, but another part of him thinks rest is more important and it is none of his business anyway and so in the end he keeps his eyes closed.

“Oh shit,” he hears Baekhyun mutters under the breath, and smiles discretely since he could almost see Baekhyun’s less than pleased frown. “Hey, Chanyeol, and, uh, Kyungsoo.”

 

“So this is the train you take!” the booming voice, _Chanyeol_ , perhaps, starts again. “Damn, no wonder you always get to book the best practice rooms before homeroom! Maybe we should take this train, too, Soo.”

“Don’t you dare,” Baekhyun hisses low but still perfectly audible to Taehyung, which nearly causes him outright chuckle. “But why are you two taking this train today?”

Another voice responds this time and Taehyung is glad because the loud one slightly irritates him for some reason. “My supervisor wants to watch me practice before homeroom today so I have to come early. This buffoon just wants to tag along as if I can’t take a train all by myself.”

Baekhyun laughs but there is slight sag of his shoulders that tells Taehyung that he is far from amused.  

“Oooh! Baekhyunnie~” Chanyeol sounds nearer now and Taehyung shifts slightly to bury his face on the crook of Baekhyun’s neck in fear of getting busted. “You didn’t tell me you got yourself a boyfriend!”

Taehyung could feel Baekhyun stiffened, and the latter mumbles something vague in hesitance. Somehow, it stirs something in Taehyung, an unfamiliar feeling not akin to anything else he has ever felt before; of taking claims (for Baekhyun) and drawing lines (for Chanyeol). It is, however, a basis heavily ungrounded, a topic blissfully untouched, a thought that has never quite passed in his mind.

Baekhyun is a friend that he has made three weeks ago, a hyung he talks to for less than an hour as they wait for their trains to school every weekdays – there is nothing to think about it because he simply _knows_ – but why does his hand makes its way to Baekhyun’s, the fingers lacing themselves around, like it is the most natural thing to do?

“Yeah,” he hears Baekhyun says, over the loud thumping of his heart. “He’s... His name is Taehyung.”

There is then a sound of Chanyeol’s excited yelp making plans of double dates (“Let’s! I’ll book the karaoke room for four of us!”) and Baekhyun’s strained refusal (“I don’t think I have time for that, Chanyeol, with all the practices and stuffs.”) and Kyungsoo’s quipped reprimand (“Let’s not scar the boy with that horrendous speed-talking you call rapping, Park Chanyeol.”) but Taehyung blocks them all out because at this moment, all that matters is Baekhyun’s slender fingers in his, still clasped as tightly even when Chanyeol is at much further vicinity now.

 

Tomorrow, they will talk about it, Taehyung decides. Tomorrow Baekhyun would tell him all about Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, and his uneasiness around them, and tomorrow Taehyung would tell him that he could see through Baekhyun’s white lie with eyes closed and hope it is convincing for his friends at least. And maybe, maybe tomorrow, they can talk about the tiniest possibility of them being together, and laugh about the mere thought of it.

 

 

 

The next day, the clouds gather as usual and realize that they have run out of water to bless the earth with and thus, decide to disperse to make way for tiny rays of sun instead. Baekhyun spends a good 15 minutes watching the sky for any chances of raining before blaming his sleepless night for the heaviness that he feels as he manoeuvres his bicycle out of the garage.

 

The train station has never felt quite so empty for Taehyung, that all he could think about is for the train to hurry up and take him away from the maddening silence.  

 

 

 

The sunshine lasts until it snows two days before Christmas, and Baekhyun whines about uselessly tiny ice flakes that do nothing to the penguins’ home as he flops to the seat next to Taehyung, who argues that the drop of temperature would definitely do the animal good, at least.

“By the way,” Baekhyun says after they rest the case (“So, as long as we get some snow, we know that the penguins are doing okay.”). “You won’t be starting school again until mid-February, right? My graduation is on 9th, why don’t you come? I’ll be performing. Consider it a sneak peek before my debut.”

 

 

 

February is by no means any colder than the frosty January but Taehyung is still bundled up in three layers of clothing as he takes a seat among the crowd in the indoor stadium of Jungwon High School of Art. There is a program book placed on the seat and Taehyung flips it through as the seats filled up.

The performance is slated to be before the certificates awarding ceremony, as stated in the tentative and Taehyung notes that there are one dance performance from the dance club, and three vocal performances – the first one of a _Kim Jongdae (Piano by: Zhang Yixing),_ followed by a _Do Kyungsoo (Guitar by: Park Chanyeol)_ and lastly of a _Byun Baekhyun_ . 

 

Taehyung later figures that someday Kim Jongdae will take the reign of South Korea ballad industry single-handedly, Taehyung would give the boy five years to prove him right. He also figures out that Park Chanyeol is a ridiculously tall boy that is completely smitten by the singer he is accompanying, throwing heart eyes every now and then as Kyungsoo belts out those RnB notes as if it is the easiest thing to do in the world.   

 

The first thing that catches Taehyung’s eyes when Baekhyun walks towards the piano at the centre of the stage is his freshly dyed black hair, which clashes beautifully with the white suits he’s wearing. Baekhyun is almost tiny against the grand piano, but the way he holds himself up as he takes the seat makes him look equally ostentatious.

Taehyung might not know it until later but he holds his breath from the very first keystroke.

 

 

He might not know it until very much later but in between the Baekhyun melodious serenade and his spectacular high note at the end of the performance, Taehyung falls in love, perhaps for the first time, or maybe a little more.

 

 

 

Trying to catch Baekhyun’s attention after the performance is a hard feat to achieve, given the fact that he is a stranger among the celebrating students and their families. Taehyung has photo-bombed at least five group photos and three family photos before he could finally locate Baekhyun among some students making silly faces at a camera, and just as he is about to call for him, the older boy has bounced around to hug a woman that could be presumed as his mother.

So Taehyung is left standing a few feet away, prodding some small rocks with the tip of his sneakers, hoping that Baekhyun would look up to his direction and notice his presence.

 

“Oh, isn’t this Baek’s boy?”

It is Chanyeol, with his whole gigantic self and long limbs, peering over Taehyung like the latter is some kids at amusement park. Taehyung blinks twice, mouth agape, and subconsciously nods.

“What are you doing here alone? Where’s Baek?”

 Taehyung looks at the small family gathering. Chanyeol follows his gaze and smiles knowingly. Without another word to Taehyung, he strides away, approaching Baekhyun and his family. Taehyung watches as Chanyeol creeps behind Baekhyun’s mother, surprising the woman and earning himself a swatting, followed by a big hug. Baekhyun’s father pats him in the shoulder while another man, probably Baekhyun’s older brother, slaps him hard on the back.

 

Taehyung lets the image of them being so familiar together sinks in before noticing Chanyeol bending over slightly to whisper something to Baekhyun. The shorter of the two looks surprised for a moment, and his eyes dart to where Taehyung is. Taehyung gives a little awkward wave, and sees Baekhyun pushing Chanyeol slightly into the conversation his family is having as he slips off to approach Taehyung.

 

“Hey, you come.”

There is a hint of pleasant surprise in Baekhyun’s tone and the way his face lights up, which warms Taehyung all inside. He mutters a quick ‘hey yourself’ and grins, before brandishing the small bouquet of flower he has been holding behind him for all while at the graduated student.

“Congratulations on graduating,” he wishes merrily. “And nice performance. You will win on Music Bank on your debut stage, I can bet on it.”

Baekhyun laughs as he takes the bouquet. “And I’ve just gotten my first flower from a fanboy, nice.”

Taehyung lets out a chuckle before both of them fall into a comfortable silence. It is cold, but not in the way the train station is cold during the rainy period when they first met, and Baekhyun’s face is wan but Taehyung likes the way a faint colour rises on his cheeks when he examines the flowers closely, his beautiful fingers playing with the petals.

“Baekhyun-hyung, let’s meet again.”

Baekhyun looks up from the flower, and to Taehyung’s serene face, which is just equally beautiful. It takes him aback for while over how much Taehyung suits the impending spring, and it leaves him something akin to bittersweet melancholy as he recalls their conversation about the life paths they have chosen. “And when will that be?”

“After I graduate,” Taehyung answers easily, as if the next two years will pass in a breeze, as if nothing will change then.

“I thought you will be going back to Daegu.”

“Yeah.”

“And I’ll be in Seoul, or probably in New York.”

“That’s right.”

“Even so, we’ll meet again?”

“Surely.”

Taehyung says it in a ridiculous definite air even though he is laughing after, and Baekhyun stares at him in almost awe, the fond feeling he has left unnamed for a while now overwhelming and consuming, and before he knows it, he pushes both of them into a shade where prying eyes won’t be able to see them, and pulls Taehyung’s muffler towards him for a kiss.

 

 

The kiss is fleeting, just like Baekhyun’s little heartbreak when he finds out his oldest friend is dating some other boy that is not him, just like the movie-like, borderline fateful meeting of Baekhyun and Taehyung in a near empty train station, just like Taehyung’s initial grief over his loss of precious morning peace, just like the brief sunshine amidst of rainy days where they realize they have trodden past the friends line. It is fleeting like whatever there is between Baekhyun and Taehyung now, vulnerable against the naivety of youth and the uncertainty of futures – but it is beautiful all the same.

 

“Taehyung-ah, let’s meet again.”

 

 

 

**EPILOGUE**

 

“ _KIM FREAKING TAEHYUNG!”_

The phone almost slips as Taehyung winces at the loud voice. He almost could hear his mother berating voice (“Kim Eunjin, that is not a way to speak to your older brother!”) in the distance from the other side of the phone, and chuckles to himself.

“What’s up, my favourite little sister?” he asks, bringing the phone close to his ear again.

“ _I’m your only little sister!_ ” his sister snarls as she always does when Taehyung calls her so. “ _You sneak, you never tell me you are friends with Byun Baekhyun!”_

“Huh?”

“ _Don’t play dumb! Why else would he personally send you a signed copy of his debut single? It arrives today! Mom says not to open your parcel and send it right away to Daegu but it’s a good thing I opened it! A signed CD from Byun Baekhyun! Oppa, you know everyone is all over him now, ask him for another one for me! You two must be close, this is signed ‘To lovely Taehyung-ah’ Oppa, he even asked to meet you again soon! No way, are you two dating – Mom! Oppa is dating Byun Baekhyun!”_


End file.
